It’s often been said that you can tell a lot about a person by the company he (or she) keeps; and I’ve often applied that same maxim to films. In other words, you can tell a lot about a film by the company in which it gets associated.
According to Wikipedia.org, it was during the 1980’s that a handful of prominent filmmakers began urging the United States Congress to enact a body that could preserve films that had demonstrated “historical, cultural, and aesthetic” appeal to the art form. Chiefly, this was because a great number of motion pictures were starting to get tinkered with from their original form in order to be commercially marketed both to television and home video; and these storytellers and artists were concerned that the lasting legacy of good stories was facing the prospect of getting reshaped into something different than was originally intended. As such, the National Film Preservation Act was first passed in 1988; and – the very next year – the first twenty-five features were inducted into the National Film Registry. Among these entries were films beloved by audiences and academics alike; and – yes – 1956’s The Searchers was in that inaugural class.
What else was there, you might ask?
Well, there were a few of them that – frankly – were cultural no-brainers. 1941’s Citizen Kane and 1942’s Casablanca had long been regarded as some of the very best storytelling of theatrical note, as were such inductees as 1939’s Gone With The Wind, 1946’s The Best Years Of Our Lives, and 1954’s On The Waterfront. While I hadn’t seen all the included films, I had at that time seen The Searchers; and I’ll admit to being a bit befuddled. As a Western, I’d certainly seen ones I thought better – that young and naïve critic I considered myself – but I wasn’t all that surprised that the John Ford directed feature had the reputation it did amongst filmmakers. I didn’t know this until much later, so I’m glad that I’ve had the chance to look at the film once more thanks to the kind people at Warner Archive.
Even at this late day in my life, I think I’ve finally been able to put into words why I’ve struggled with the picture as well as why it just doesn’t quite resonate as strongly with me as have so many others. Some might disagree – such is life – and some might even suggest that I’m a Looney Tunes for sticking with my position; but I’ve always tried very hard to stay true to myself in the process of evaluating stories, why they do or don’t work, and even why they deserve the recognition they achieve over time. The Searchers certainly qualifies as one whose reputation has grown over time – it wasn’t anywhere near a box office hit back in its day – and perhaps that shows that art ultimately finds its audience, maybe even after many have looked elsewhere.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
According to Wikipedia.org, it was during the 1980’s that a handful of prominent filmmakers began urging the United States Congress to enact a body that could preserve films that had demonstrated “historical, cultural, and aesthetic” appeal to the art form. Chiefly, this was because a great number of motion pictures were starting to get tinkered with from their original form in order to be commercially marketed both to television and home video; and these storytellers and artists were concerned that the lasting legacy of good stories was facing the prospect of getting reshaped into something different than was originally intended. As such, the National Film Preservation Act was first passed in 1988; and – the very next year – the first twenty-five features were inducted into the National Film Registry. Among these entries were films beloved by audiences and academics alike; and – yes – 1956’s The Searchers was in that inaugural class.
What else was there, you might ask?
Well, there were a few of them that – frankly – were cultural no-brainers. 1941’s Citizen Kane and 1942’s Casablanca had long been regarded as some of the very best storytelling of theatrical note, as were such inductees as 1939’s Gone With The Wind, 1946’s The Best Years Of Our Lives, and 1954’s On The Waterfront. While I hadn’t seen all the included films, I had at that time seen The Searchers; and I’ll admit to being a bit befuddled. As a Western, I’d certainly seen ones I thought better – that young and naïve critic I considered myself – but I wasn’t all that surprised that the John Ford directed feature had the reputation it did amongst filmmakers. I didn’t know this until much later, so I’m glad that I’ve had the chance to look at the film once more thanks to the kind people at Warner Archive.
Even at this late day in my life, I think I’ve finally been able to put into words why I’ve struggled with the picture as well as why it just doesn’t quite resonate as strongly with me as have so many others. Some might disagree – such is life – and some might even suggest that I’m a Looney Tunes for sticking with my position; but I’ve always tried very hard to stay true to myself in the process of evaluating stories, why they do or don’t work, and even why they deserve the recognition they achieve over time. The Searchers certainly qualifies as one whose reputation has grown over time – it wasn’t anywhere near a box office hit back in its day – and perhaps that shows that art ultimately finds its audience, maybe even after many have looked elsewhere.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.”
While I’m not as young as those who discuss films online these days, I’m probably not among the oldest, either. I certainly grew up at a time when cinema – in particular – was changing: the 1960’s and early 1970’s say many genre entries trying to grow increasingly relevant with the times, but syndication television programming was still made up of shows like The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, The Rifleman, and Have Gun – Will Travel. While each of these may’ve had their respective narrative territories that they staked out, there was one thing I recall all of them having in common: as a watcher, you knew who the goods guys were, and you knew who the bad ones were.
A good deal of their stories were simple yarns – some black-hatted newbie to the town would show up and commit some nefarious deed, requiring that our white-hatted heroes saddle up and ride for the purpose of righting that singular wrong. Rarely was there any nuance – the viewers didn’t have to watch closely to know who was on the side of justice in most cases because costuming alone pretty much told them everything they needed to know – and everything was wrapped up tighter than a box in the final reel. It might be a showdown or some deserved fisticuffs after a protracted horse race, but justice returned the town to what it was before evil reared its head and balance was reached.
While theatrical Westerns were largely cut from the same cloth, there came a time wherein these big budget spectacles inevitably realized that they had to do what they were doing on the big screen a bit differently than what studios could deliver faster and cheaper on the small. We were growing and changing as a society, and some storytellers felt that our myths should as well. There’s always a measure of revisionism that comes into play, and these efforts began questioning the ideas of what good and evil authentically looked like across a lawless and uncivilized frontier. Maybe the good guys didn’t always wear white. Maybe the bad guys didn’t always wear black. Maybe even the men and women we originally thought were the good and righteous lot had something to hide, and maybe those feared gunslingers weren’t as morally honorable as films had led us to believe.
In this respect, The Searchers – as directed by Ford and scripted by Frank S. Nugent, Alan Le May, and Charles Dorat – casts iconic cowboy and lawman John Wayne in the guise of Ethan Edwards, a former soldier of the Confederacy who stayed away from home for some time even after the Civil War ended. When he does arrive back to the Edwards homestead, he’s welcomed warmly and embraced by his brother and the man’s family … and yet things don’t quite look as clean and wholesome as they might’ve in other motion pictures. Why, brother Aaron is a bit of a homebody, not much for violence nor taking a stand on any issue unless conscripted by the local constabulary. At the dinner table, Ethan proves himself to be a bit of a racist when he takes issue with breaking bread with Marty Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), an adopted sibling with only one-eighth Cherokee ancestry. And – dare I say? – it looks like Ethan and his sister-in-law Martha (Dorothy Jordan) can’t help but steal loving glances at one another whilst no one else is looking?
Erm … what happened to the good guys?
There’s no denying that Ethan Edwards is the hero of The Searchers, certainly as much as Martin Pawley come the big finish; and yet there’s also a bit of antihero in him as well. As times change, our heroes also go through a bit of cultural upheaval, meaning that we might begin to ‘search’ for just what makes the definition of a protagonist work in a new era of civilization. Clearly, there is good and bad in each of us – or, at least, the propensity to achieve good works as well as something less than reputable – and that’s the wild frontier that’s staked out in Ford’s mold-breaking outing. It’s a film that both is as true a Western as ever was while it also defies expectations and pushes its characters and themes into territory as untouched as the prairie.
“An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.”
While I’m not as young as those who discuss films online these days, I’m probably not among the oldest, either. I certainly grew up at a time when cinema – in particular – was changing: the 1960’s and early 1970’s say many genre entries trying to grow increasingly relevant with the times, but syndication television programming was still made up of shows like The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, The Rifleman, and Have Gun – Will Travel. While each of these may’ve had their respective narrative territories that they staked out, there was one thing I recall all of them having in common: as a watcher, you knew who the goods guys were, and you knew who the bad ones were.
A good deal of their stories were simple yarns – some black-hatted newbie to the town would show up and commit some nefarious deed, requiring that our white-hatted heroes saddle up and ride for the purpose of righting that singular wrong. Rarely was there any nuance – the viewers didn’t have to watch closely to know who was on the side of justice in most cases because costuming alone pretty much told them everything they needed to know – and everything was wrapped up tighter than a box in the final reel. It might be a showdown or some deserved fisticuffs after a protracted horse race, but justice returned the town to what it was before evil reared its head and balance was reached.
While theatrical Westerns were largely cut from the same cloth, there came a time wherein these big budget spectacles inevitably realized that they had to do what they were doing on the big screen a bit differently than what studios could deliver faster and cheaper on the small. We were growing and changing as a society, and some storytellers felt that our myths should as well. There’s always a measure of revisionism that comes into play, and these efforts began questioning the ideas of what good and evil authentically looked like across a lawless and uncivilized frontier. Maybe the good guys didn’t always wear white. Maybe the bad guys didn’t always wear black. Maybe even the men and women we originally thought were the good and righteous lot had something to hide, and maybe those feared gunslingers weren’t as morally honorable as films had led us to believe.
In this respect, The Searchers – as directed by Ford and scripted by Frank S. Nugent, Alan Le May, and Charles Dorat – casts iconic cowboy and lawman John Wayne in the guise of Ethan Edwards, a former soldier of the Confederacy who stayed away from home for some time even after the Civil War ended. When he does arrive back to the Edwards homestead, he’s welcomed warmly and embraced by his brother and the man’s family … and yet things don’t quite look as clean and wholesome as they might’ve in other motion pictures. Why, brother Aaron is a bit of a homebody, not much for violence nor taking a stand on any issue unless conscripted by the local constabulary. At the dinner table, Ethan proves himself to be a bit of a racist when he takes issue with breaking bread with Marty Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), an adopted sibling with only one-eighth Cherokee ancestry. And – dare I say? – it looks like Ethan and his sister-in-law Martha (Dorothy Jordan) can’t help but steal loving glances at one another whilst no one else is looking?
Erm … what happened to the good guys?
There’s no denying that Ethan Edwards is the hero of The Searchers, certainly as much as Martin Pawley come the big finish; and yet there’s also a bit of antihero in him as well. As times change, our heroes also go through a bit of cultural upheaval, meaning that we might begin to ‘search’ for just what makes the definition of a protagonist work in a new era of civilization. Clearly, there is good and bad in each of us – or, at least, the propensity to achieve good works as well as something less than reputable – and that’s the wild frontier that’s staked out in Ford’s mold-breaking outing. It’s a film that both is as true a Western as ever was while it also defies expectations and pushes its characters and themes into territory as untouched as the prairie.
There’s never any doubt that Edwards has done some unconscionable deeds on behalf of civilization. Indeed, the man hints amply at decisions he’s had to made as well as the turmoil he tucks away deep inside as a consequence of having to live with such choices. This was more likely the reality of braving such an explored and dangerous expanse that was the true Wild West, much more than those simple ‘black versus white’ stories that worked so well on broadcast television. When some in the audience might’ve been a bit aghast at seeing their quintessential screen savior in such a light – Wayne’s reputation definitely preceded him at this point in a career – that fact alone might explain how and why contemporary viewers rejected the outing in its time and place.
What I can say is that I’ve no doubt this is why The Searchers failed to win me over when I first saw it. Being raised on ‘oaters’ in a single context did me no favors, and I saw the picture as more of an anti-Western than anything else. (Frankly, I still see some of it that way these days, but I’ve tempered my dislike of a few scenes.) What else would you call a film that serves up a somewhat ill-tempered protagonist struggling with racism and also depicts the U.S. Cavalry as a force for destruction as opposed to the brigade previous tasked with showing up to save the day? Ford’s myth just didn’t quite jive with what I’d known before, so I somewhat dismissed it in my mind.
As I’m decades older, I can say that I’ve made peace with the flick. While I’ve never hated it – it has some of the best cinematography ever to grace these untamed territories – I struggled to celebrate it as have so many of my cultural betters. Some have argued that I didn’t “get it,” but I’ve always insisted that I just didn’t quite agree with its messaging. As I’ve repeated many times on SciFiHistory.Net, I abhor messaging from either side of the political spectrum; and there are definitely times when The Searchers beats its own drum for better or worse.
Like Ethan Edwards, I prefer to think that I, too, might best serve humanity by staying outside, existing just beyond the mainstream’s safety and security where danger lurks in every shadow. I may be wrong more than I’m right, but one still can hope you go into the golden years by making more friends than you’ve ever killed. Like that tall stranger, I think there’s a quiet nobility in knowing one’s strength and weaknesses and accepting whatever foibles evolve consequently. At least, you’ll always know where you stand with yourself … and perhaps that’s all that really matters in the end.
The Searchers (1956) was produced by C.V. Whitney Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Warner Archive. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights and sounds to be as monumental as when they were first conceived: the film looks utterly fabulous in 4K. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There’s a great audience commentary along with some exceptional looks into the film’s enduring history worth your discovery. It’s a great, great collection.
Highest Recommendation Possible.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Warner Archive provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Searchers (1956) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
What I can say is that I’ve no doubt this is why The Searchers failed to win me over when I first saw it. Being raised on ‘oaters’ in a single context did me no favors, and I saw the picture as more of an anti-Western than anything else. (Frankly, I still see some of it that way these days, but I’ve tempered my dislike of a few scenes.) What else would you call a film that serves up a somewhat ill-tempered protagonist struggling with racism and also depicts the U.S. Cavalry as a force for destruction as opposed to the brigade previous tasked with showing up to save the day? Ford’s myth just didn’t quite jive with what I’d known before, so I somewhat dismissed it in my mind.
As I’m decades older, I can say that I’ve made peace with the flick. While I’ve never hated it – it has some of the best cinematography ever to grace these untamed territories – I struggled to celebrate it as have so many of my cultural betters. Some have argued that I didn’t “get it,” but I’ve always insisted that I just didn’t quite agree with its messaging. As I’ve repeated many times on SciFiHistory.Net, I abhor messaging from either side of the political spectrum; and there are definitely times when The Searchers beats its own drum for better or worse.
Like Ethan Edwards, I prefer to think that I, too, might best serve humanity by staying outside, existing just beyond the mainstream’s safety and security where danger lurks in every shadow. I may be wrong more than I’m right, but one still can hope you go into the golden years by making more friends than you’ve ever killed. Like that tall stranger, I think there’s a quiet nobility in knowing one’s strength and weaknesses and accepting whatever foibles evolve consequently. At least, you’ll always know where you stand with yourself … and perhaps that’s all that really matters in the end.
The Searchers (1956) was produced by C.V. Whitney Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Warner Archive. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights and sounds to be as monumental as when they were first conceived: the film looks utterly fabulous in 4K. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There’s a great audience commentary along with some exceptional looks into the film’s enduring history worth your discovery. It’s a great, great collection.
Highest Recommendation Possible.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Warner Archive provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Searchers (1956) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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